Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, there has been a steady rise in the cancer mortality rate in the United States during the past half-century. 4 millions people have died from cancer since the turn of this decade. Among all types of cancer treatment, e.g., chemotherapy, immunotherapy, surgery, radiation, and hormone therapy, chemotherapy is the most commonly employed treatment, especially for cancers that are in inoperable or metastatic forms.
Although many compounds are now known to be effective chemotherapeutics for treating cancers, there still exists a need for more potent and selective anticancer drugs.